My Buddhist teacher shared this photo of a T-shirt she saw someone wearing at the airport, commenting that it seems like a good message.
Practice like a champion.
Since my teacher suggested it, I have to think about it. That's the deal.
What does it...

Buddhism is often seen these days as a supremely rational philosophical system or belief system, depending on your stance. Investigate everything, the Buddha said. Do not believe anything just because I tell you it is so -- look into it for...

I've been writing for the IDP blog on a regular basis for almost five years -- not because I think I have great insights to share but because it needs to be done. I've worked on daily newspapers for all of my adult life (except for six horrible...

Excerpted from Toni Bernhard's How to Be Sick. In this book, Bernhard shares ways to make “being sick” the heart of a spiritual practice — and through truly learning how to be sick, learn how to live a life of equanimity, compassion, and joy. In...

It's been a few weeks since the Nepalese earthquake struck, devastating the country, killing over 8,000 people and injuring ~20,000. Today another powerful quake hit, bringing even more destruction and chaos. As a result of these...

The charge of "depraved heart murder" was filed against one of the Baltimore police officers accused in connection with the death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore. That's an odd term for most of us: "Depraved heart."

“What are you working with right now?” he asked me.
(This is something Buddhists sometimes ask each other.)
“Kindness,” I responded. “I find that I can always be a little kinder to myself.”
“Oh, that’s a great place to start.”
I smiled inwardly. I...

A new study reports that merely reading Buddhist terms in a word puzzle -- such as dharma, Buddha, and awakening -- increased the likelihood of "prosocial" behaviors among study participants, some of them familiar with Buddhism and others not.

We're entering heavy sports season here in the U.S., with the month-long college basketball championships wrapping up -- March Madness that now extends into April -- and playoffs looming for professional basketball and hockey, even as baseball...

Yes, it’s April Fools, a “holiday” I’ve never quite understood how it came to pass, but it does raise the question of humor and pranks in our lives. One of the knocks on Buddhism is that by being ok with whatever is happening a kind of flat-lining...

As a child I was often told that starving children in China would be happy to have the mushy peas I carefully picked out from the Campbell's vegetable soup and left in the bowl. I felt bad for the starving children, but that wasn't going to make me...

The 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, arrived on the West Coast last week to begin his tour of the United States. He's scheduled to give many public talks as well as teachings throughout the country over the next few weeks. But he...

Insurance companies aren't known for taking risks on unproven methods. So when Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini -- who had personal experience with the healing benefits of yoga and meditation -- wanted to spread the practices to Aetna's employees, he looked...

I've been reading about Ruth Denison, a Buddhist teacher who died Feb. 26. I'd picked up a book about her, Dancing in the Dharma, because I liked the title. I had not heard of her. That's a shame, because Denison's work deeply influenced how...

I had plans last night to go into the city and meet a dear friend to see a very special performance. So many things went wrong that I could easily have had an terrible time. Instead -- thanks to practice -- it was full of extraordinary lessons and...

Where are you & What’s coming up?In contemplating the layers between space and action,I'm beginning to feel that lacking any control of mind makes plans feel fleetingly temporary.By paving both path and practice these last six weeks, I’ve...